Ice-creeper.



H. L. MORTENSEN.

ICE CHEEPER. APPLICATION r|Ln1ums22` 1917.

Patented Nov.. 27', 191'? HANS L. MORTENSEN, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

lICE-CREEPER.

Laatste.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2?, 191i?.

Application led I une 22, 1917. Serial No. 176,405.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that' l, HANS L. MORTENSEN, a citizen of the Kingdom of Denmark, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Creepers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ice Creepers or antislipping devices which when attached to the bottoms of a pair of shoes will enable a person to walk with ease and comfort and with that sureness of foot so necessary in traversing icy or other slippery surfaces.

The object of the invention is to provide an ice creeper which is so constructed that it can be quickly and readily attached and detached to and from the shank o-f the shoe outsole and the shoe heel, and to improve and simplify devices of this character so as to be reliable and efcient in use and of comparatively cheap and inexpensive construction.

With this and other objects in view as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a shoe showing my improved construction of ice Creeper attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a shoe showing the device arranged in operative position thereon, and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the outsole shank clamp.

-Similar characters of reference are used to denote corresponding parts throughout the accompanying drawings and the following description.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates an elongated base plate which is connected at its rear end by a vertical portion 2 to a heel plate 3, which latter is disposed in a plane below that of the base plate. The opposite forward corners of the base plate 1 and the opposite rear corners of the heel plate 3 are provided with sharp spurs 4f. The base plate 1 is provided medially adjacent its forward end with a longitudinally extending opening 5, in which is positioned a tongue 6 which is hingedly connected as at 7 to the base plates at the forward end of the opening 5.

A clamping bar 8 is carried by the hinged tongue 6 and is attached thereto by a set screw 9 which extends through the bar S at a point intermediate its ends and through an elongated slot 10 in the tongue and is provided with a clamping nut 11 whereby the bar 8 may be locked in any adjusted position. The opposite ends of the bar 8 are provided with upturned angular ends 12 which are in turn provided with sharpened ears or points 13 adapted to overlie the edge of the outsole shank and hold the tongue and base plate in operative position with respect to the outsole and to prevent the forward end of the device from being disengaged from the outsole. As will be noted by reference to Figs. 1 and 3, the upturned ends 12 converge toward each other so that they will snugly t the converging edges of the outsole shank when arranged .in operative position thereon.

The heel plate 3 has mounted thereon a pair of heel clamping jaws 14C which are adapted to embrace the opposite sides of the shoe heel and prevent lateral movement of the device with respect to the shoe. Each of these heel clamping aws 14 is adjustable transversely of the heel plate by a set screw 15 which is extended downwardly through an elongated slot 16 in the clamping jaw and through an aperture in the heel plate, the lower end of the set screw being provided with a clamping nut 17 whereby the jaw may be held in any adjusted position. Pivot-ally mounted at 19 on the base plate 1 adjacent its connection with the heel plate is a cam lever 18 provided with a cam head 2O which projects through an elongated slot in the vertical portion 2 which connects the base plate with the heel plate. The outer end of the cam lever is provided with a thumb piece 21 whereby it may be actuated in attaching the device.

In the use of the ice creeper the shank clamp is properly adjusted with respect to the tongue 6 and then engaged over the opposite side edges of the outsole shank after which the cam lever 1S is swung laterally of the base plate so as to force the earn head 20 through the vertical portion 2 and into engagement with the shoe heel, a continued lateral movement of the cam lever forcing the shank clamp into clamping engagement with the opposite converging sides of the outsole shank and at the same time forcing the cam head 20 into the shoe heel until it has passed a dead center with respect to its pivotal connection.

When the ice Creeper has been arranged in operative position on the bottom of a shoe, it will be manifest that the spurs or sharpened points l will be positioned beneath the ball and heel of the foot so that the weight of the person wearing the shoe can bear upon the spurs to cause them to effectively engage slippery surfaces as in walking over ice or snow.

I claim:

1. An ice creeper comprising a base plate provided with a longitudinal opening terminating near its forward end, a tongue in said opening hinged at its forward end to the base plate and provided with a longitudinal slot, a cross bar above the base plate having upturned ends adapted to engage the edges of the shank of the shoe, a screw passed through the cross bar and the slot of the tongue, a nut on said screw, and means for forcing the cross bar ends into engagement with the shoe shank.

2. An ice creeper comprising a base plate provided with an elongated opening adjacent its forward end, a tongue hingedly mounted within said base plate opening, a cross bar adjustably connected to said tongue, upturned ends carried by said cross bar, laterally projecting ears carried by said upturned ends, a heel plate carried by the rear end Iof said base plate, heel clamping jaws carried by said heel plate, and a cam lever carried by the base plate for attaching the device. n

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HANS L. MORTENSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

